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United States: ‘Global Magnitsky’ Targets 52 Individuals, Businesses

Washington

December 21, 2017

In response to the Trump administration decision to impose financial and travel sanctions on more than a dozen individuals responsible for serious human rights abuses and corruption – sanctions created by the Global Magnitsky Act passed by Congress in 2016 – Freedom House issued the following statement:

“This first use of a groundbreaking law gives the United States a powerful tool to target perpetrators of the most serious human rights abuses and corruption,” said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House. “The individuals who will face stringent sanctions range from an arms dealer in the Balkans, the former chief of Myanmar’s army operations against Rohingya civilians, a director of China’s security services in Beijing, to the son of Russia’s chief prosecutor and to the president of Nicaragua’s electoral commission. Freedom House worked with a coalition of other democracy and human rights organizations to identify wrong-doers for sanctions. The administration’s decision not to include on its list more of the names recommended by the coalition is a missed opportunity. We look forward to working with officials to identify additional perpetrators of these most serious abuses to ensure the law becomes part of the strongest possible response to wrong-doing.”